2012/05/05

Most times when we fly past La Conchita, I glance at the quiet little enclave near Carp and recall the headlines about the fatal landslide that took out some homes. The day of this pic I was also looking at the distant snow-capped peaks.

1778 La Conchita

You can see the slide area at the bottom-right, in the missing rows of homes in the rectangular grid pattern. The distant snow got me pondering glaciers, and the glacier-like aspects of some landslides. Rather than race suddenly down the slope, many SoCal slides happen over several minutes, hours, or even days. This one was relatively fast, perhaps due to the fact it happened after a long period of heavy rains and was at least partly a mudslide. Looking at the aftermath, a heavy feeling in my heart mingles with a serene sense of the inevitable. Each of us and all our possessions will be buried in time, and I hope the examples set by our fathers will help me greet the end with a peaceful and dignified spirit.